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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — music
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. march — the month
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wax — to grow
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to tire
  17. branch — a division
  18. hand — help
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com